Tulane Outbreak Daily | May 6, 2020

Upcoming Virtual Events:

  1. SARS-CoV-2 serological testing: What is it and what does it mean?
    May 13 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT
  2. TARGETED NGS OF SARS-COV-2
    May 13 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT
  3. EPA Expands Research on SARS-CoV-2 in the Environment
    May 27 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT

Details for registration on our website

Featured Headlines

Studies Have Found New Mutations in The Coronavirus. Here’s What That Means – Science Alert

For a virus, spreading for a few months and reaching more than 3 million hosts is a long time span to evolve and change. Some viruses – like influenza – mutate a lot, meaning that we need to update vaccines yearly to remain on top of the spread of seasonal flu. Meanwhile, the coronavirus that has caused the current COVID-19 pandemic has stayed relatively stable, and it seems to be mutating much more slowly than influenza. [Related paper] [Related pre-print]

Latest evidence on obesity and COVID-19 – Medical News Today

A summary of the evidence so far suggests that obesity is associated with a higher risk of developing severe symptoms and complications of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), independent of other illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease.

New Data on Protective Immunity after COVID-19 – FLARE

  1. The world is eager for an “immunity test” for SARS-CoV-2, but the level and duration of protective immunity after recovery from COVID-19 remain to be defined.
  2. Protective immunity depends on both production of antibodies by B cells and development of virus-specific T cell responses.
  3. A new paper suggests not only that SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies are detected in convalescent subjects, but that, in most of these individuals, antibodies are neutralizing and there is also evidence of a virus-specific T cell response.
  4. While more work is needed, these results continue to provide assurance that natural infection will confer protective immunity, and that future vaccination may be effective.

The patients who just can’t shake off Covid-19 – BBC

Part of the problem is that so much about the coronavirus is unknown, including why some people experience relatively mild symptoms lasting a few days, while other perfectly healthy people are left struggling for weeks.

Asthma and COVID-19 Risk: Good, Bad or Indifferent? – Medical News Today

CDC says condition increases risk of severe outcomes; emerging evidence suggests otherwise. [Related Study]

The ‘boogeyman’ of pediatrics: What is Kawasaki disease and is it linked to the coronavirus? – USA Today

Symptoms of a rare inflammatory condition have been identified in at least 15 children in New York City hospitals, alarming pediatricians across the country and raising concerns about a possible link to the coronavirus.

A Cardiologist, COVID-19, and His 2-Inch Brain Infarct – Medical News Today

“When they said stroke, that blew me away,” said the 49-year-old physician who says he had no stroke risk factors. Imaging revealed a 5-cm cerebellar infarct. [Related NEJM Study]

Podcast: How to break America’s covid-19 testing bottleneck – MIT Technology Review

MIT Technology Review’s Antonio Regalado explains the reasons why the US is still behind on testing, and outlines promising schemes to fix the problem at scale.

How chloroquine, coronavirus duke it out inside a dish – Stanford Medicine

A pair of closely related drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, have gotten tons of attention, but so far, at best, mixed results in clinical trials for treating COVID-19

New Studies Add to Evidence that Children May Transmit the Coronavirus – NYT

Experts said the new data suggest that cases could soar in many U.S. communities if schools reopen soon. [Related Study]

The unreal dichotomy in COVID-19 mortality between high-income and developing countries – Brookings

Low-income and lower-middle income countries (LICs and LMICs) account for almost half of the global population but they make up only 2 percent of the global death toll attributed to COVID-19.

Disease Experts Expand The List Of Coronavirus Symptoms – NPR

It’s not just a fever and dry cough. For milder cases of COVID-19, symptoms can include headaches and fatigue, loss of smell or taste, and even red, purple or pink bumps and a rash on toes.

Editor’s note: Regarding the case counts below, please consider due to limited testing capabilities in some locations, the real number of cases could be considerably higher.

Official Reporting for May 6, 2020

WHO SITREP #106 ECDC | Country Data Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases 3,517,345 3,623,803 3,711,425
Deaths 243,401 256,880 259,796

 

Total cases: 1,171,510
Total deaths: 68,279
(Numbers close out at 4 p.m. the day before reporting.)

Surveillance Headlines

USA

USA: What Is the Real Coronavirus Toll in Each State? – NYT

Iowa: Iowa reports record COVID-19 deaths, lists meatpacking site outbreaks – Local News

Colorado: Coronavirus Plasma Treatment Recipient Dies From Virus – Colorado Public Radio

EUROPE

France: COVID-19 detected in France in late December – CIDRAP

Germany: Germany reopens shops as lockdown is relaxed – BBC

MIDDLE EAST

Israel: Develops method to track SARS-CoV-2 virus through sewage system – Smart Water Magazine

Pakistan: Imams Overrule Pakistan’s Coronavirus Lockdown as Ramadan Nears – NYT

ASIA

India: Loosens Its Strict Lockdown, Coronavirus Deaths Jump Sharply – NYT

AFRICA

As exponential COVID-19 spread hits parts of Africa, WHO issues advisory on traditional medicines – CIDRAP

Science and Tech

Twist Bioscience Identifies Competitive Antibodies For Sars-Cov-2 – Retuers

Functional antibodies identified to S1 spike protein and ACE2 cellular receptor

Vaccine

Sugary Camouflage on Coronavirus Offers Vaccine Clues – Quanta Magazine

In the fight against viruses and other pathogens, scientists are looking beyond genes and proteins to the complex sugars, or glycans, on cell surfaces.

Antivirals

An emerging antiviral takes aim at COVID-19 – Chemical and Engineering News
EIDD-2801 wasn’t designed to fight the novel coronavirus, but its chemistry might make it an ideal weapon in this pandemic and the next

Therapeutics

Hepatitis C drug may help fight coronavirus suggests study – The Statesman

The results are also supported by the fact that both SARS-CoV-2 and the hepatitis C virus are a virus of the same type, a so-called single-stranded RNA virus.

Diagnostics

 


Published Research

SARS-COV-2 was already spreading in France in late December 2019 – International Journal of Microbial Agents

An 81 nucleotide deletion in SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a identified from sentinel surveillance in Arizona (Jan-Mar 2020) – American Society for Microbiology

Association of respiratory allergy, asthma, and expression of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 – Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Changes in contact patterns shape the dynamics of the COVID-19 outbreak in China – Science

New understanding of the damage of SARS-CoV-2 infection outside the respiratory system –

SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus co-infection – The Lancet

Epidemiology of and Risk Factors for Coronavirus Infection in Health Care Workers: A Living Rapid Review – The Annals of Internal Medicine

Pre-Pub (not yet peer reviewed, should not be regarded as conclusive)

First case of placental infection with SARS-CoV-2 – MedRXiv

Spike mutation pipeline reveals the emergence of a more transmissible form of SARS-CoV-2 – BioRXiv


Supply Chain Impact

Iowa Meat Packing Plant COVID-19 Cases:

  • The Tyson Foods plant in Columbus Junction with 221 positive cases with 26 percent of its employees tested.
  • Iowa Premium National Beef in Tama with 258 positive cases with 39 percent of its employees tested.
  • The Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo with 444 positive cases with 17 percent of its employees tested.
  • The Tyson Foods plant in Perry with 730 positive cases with 58 percent of employees tested.
  • TPI Composites in Newton with 131 positive cases with 13 percent of employees tested.

Can American seafood survive the COVID-19 tidal wave? – Marketplace.org

Like meat processors and farmers, the seafood sector is feeling the COVID-19 effect. Many American restaurants are still closed for sit-in diners, tourism has slowed to almost nothing, and exports to Asian markets are still in limbo. Wild Alaskan salmon, lobster and oyster and fisheries are all preparing for a tough summer.

 


Infection Prevention

 

 


Coping in Quarantine

Easy Recipes to Cook While You’re Self-Quarantined – New York Times

If you have a decently stocked pantry, you can make a wonderful meal out of a few staples. If your pantry staples are running low like mine, this Casserole recipe from Minnesota looks easy enough.